Individual blocks of arrangements as disclosed and claimed herein are each preferably constituted by a number of substantially identical, laterally spaced frame components having the same quadrilateral outline in their planes as that of the block; and these frames are stiffened and braced against relative shift by the sheathing of the block. End frame components of each block are further rigidified to have a truss effect by upright members extending along a diagonal of the parallelogram block outline, thereby in effect subdividing it into two triangular portions or sections each having geometrically inherent rigidity.
The component frame members of each block, as rigidly secured together in their spaced relation transverse of their planes, are further braced individually by wooden corner gussets nailed or glued thereon, which supplement their block's end-trussed strength; and the bolted steel end plates which rigidly articulate successive blocks end-wise and/or side-wise afford strong multiple trussings of the totality of block units of the modular building construction as a whole.
By great preference, the end-wise and side-wise connections of the individual blocks are such as to afford relatively generous spaces therebetween, in which spaces electrical or plumbing conduitry, thermal and/or acoustical insulating material, and the like may be disposed. Rigid or structurally stable connections of individual blocks to one another are substantially solely at the bolted steel end bracket means referred to, although of course other incidental interconnections of frames and blocks may arise in the complete structure. The construction is entirely stable and self-supporting as a whole, requiring no internal or external columns, pillars, beams or other conventional type supports, other than such as are of course necessary at end block units for a pier-type footing on the ground or other basic support surface. A multiply trussed and cantilevered effect characterizes any combination of two or more blocks pursuant to the invention.
The modular building construction finds many applications of the sort in which any other type of modular building construction is employed, for example, in low-cost housing, in motels, apartments or the like, in commercial settings, or even in industrial instances.
A search has revealed the following patents:
Tilden 514,789 Feb. 13, 1894 Tourtellotte 2,241,830 May 13, 1941 Van der Lely 3,292,327 Dec. 20, 1966 Camoletti et al 3,363,370 Jan. 16, 1968 Mead 3,527,002 Sept. 8, 1970 Lopez et al 3,608,257 Sept. 28, 1971 Neuhardt 3,785,096 Jan. 15, 1974
Of the above patents, Lopez et al discloses a modular building arrangement in the form of an assemblage of hexagonal room space-affording components; it lacks practically all of the advantages of the present improvement, and in addition requires resort to upright pillars, horizontal floor and ceiling beams, and the like throughout the assembly, as distinguished from the rigidly self-sustaining and supporting characteristic of the present invention.
The other listed references are of only casual interest. Van der Lely suggests in its FIG. 26 a laminar-type build-up of reinforced concrete parts totally unlike the spaced frame block unit of my invention. This patent, and also Tilden, Tourtellotte, Camoletti et al, Mead and Neuhardt simply disclose versions of construction involving modules which may be linearly connected or stacked in series, or alternated in a zig-zag fashion. These are of only the most general sort of similarity to the modular concept of the present invention, involving apex-connected component units in a cantilever array.